Post by Betsy on Jul 8, 2008 20:23:47 GMT 7
TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (ªF¤è¯«°_), is a quintet South Korean boy band formed under SM Entertainment, and later debuted under Avex Trax in Japan. TVXQ is one of the most popular groups in Asia. Its five members specialize in the areas of singing, dance, a cappella, acting, and pop with an R&B and hip-hop vibe. Since debut, the group gained a great popularity in South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and other East Asian countries.[1][2].
TVXQ fans use various versions of the group's name in different countries. In South Korea, the group is known as Dong Bang Shin Gi (동방신기), abbreviated as DBSG or DBSK, while the Japanese equivalent of the group's name is Tōhōshinki, abbreviated as THSK. TVXQ, the acronym based on the Chinese counterpart of their name Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is the abbreviation officially used on all advertisements and products outside of Japan. Their name roughly translates as "Rising Gods of the East." (동방의 신이 일어나다.
Musical style
Although TVXQ was initially marketed as an a cappella group, most of the group's music is mainstream K-pop or J-pop. Their debut single "Hug" was a bubblegum pop song, where as their follow up single "The Way U Are" was a dance/R&B number, complete with stylized outfits and choreographed dance moves. Their third major single release, "믿어요" (I Believe), in contrast, was a ballad. TVXQ concluded the year with a Christmas album that also had an a cappella version of "Jesus, Joy Of Man's Desiring". With their releases in 2004, the group showed a versatility in style and has managed not to be permanently typecast as a certain "genre style" (as opposed to Fly to the Sky's R&Bs or Koyote's dance songs).
With consecutive releases, they have not moved from this formula, as their second and third albums have had a similar mixture without moving outside of the mainstream label. The second album's singles, for example, included a dance song (their first release) and a ballad (their follow up). The third album's releases have been dance, ballad and pop tracks. The group also recorded a cappella tracks for official albums released in both Korea and Japan, in which they rearrange original songs as a cappella versions. In the 13th single released in Japan, TVXQ arranged their debut single 'Hug' as a cappella track and performed it in their 2nd Live Tour in Japan.
In Japan, the group's image and music has shifted towards a different market from the one in South Korea. Owing to their more mature fan base in Japan, TVXQ has gravitated towards a cappella and melodic pop songs rather than the heavy and fast pop tunes, coupled with intensive dance choreography, that are commonly seen in their usual hits in South Korea
History
[edit] 2004: Debut
Before debut, there were several tentative names for the group. Each member was to come up with ideas for the name of the group. The three names suggested were Ohjangyookbu (오장육부, meaning the five visceras), JuhnMuckGo, acronym for 전설을 먹고 사는 고래 meaning A Whale That Eats Legends, and Dong Bang Bul Pae (동방불패), the Korean title of Ashes of Time.[4] The group decided on Dong Bang Bul Pae, and Lee Soo Man even asked the film's director for permission to use the name. In the end, however, the name was rejected because its Hanja (or the written Chinese script) was not aesthetically pleasing, and the group name was changed instead to Dong Bang Shin Ki.
TVXQ made their first appearance on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears Showcase. They performed their debut song "Hug" as well as an a cappella rendition of "O Holy Night" alongside BoA. The group eventually released two singles ("Hug" and "The Way U Are"), accompanied by photo books, before their first album in 2004. TVXQ reached #1 on Korean music charts in three months after their debut. By October, the first album Tri-Angle was released.
Their official fan club derives its name from the Cassiopeia constellation near the Big Dipper. The constellation consists of 5 main stars, and TVXQ has 5 members. When traced on a computer keyboard, "TVfXQ" resembles Cassiopeia.
SM Entertainment once considered adding a Chinese member to the group and rotate members to help boost popularity in other countries, as hinted in The 3rd StoryBook - TVfXQ!. The purpose would have been to branch each member into different solo activities, or possibly combine other trainees into the group. However, the idea was abandoned due to opposition from fans who threatened to boycott SM Entertainment products.
[edit] 2005: Second Korean album Rising Sun
During 2005, TVXQ expanded its career into Japan. The group marked its official debut in Japan with the release of the single Stay with Me Tonight on April 27, 2005. [5] (Earlier in the year, the English version of their single "Hug" and their first Korean album Tri-Angle had been released in Japan without much attention).
TVXQ continued to release two additional singles entitled "Somebody to Love" and "My Destiny". While in Korea, the group released its second Korean album Rising Sun, which ranked #1 on the monthly charts and #4 for the yearly sales, and continues to chart in the top 100. Due to demand, the album was officially released in other foreign countries in 2007[6]. Weeks before the album's release in Korea, Hero faced a leg injury which prevented him from dancing in the Rising Sun music video or on stage performances and from taking part in some of the album's promotional activities. For group dance sequences on stage he was instead replaced by another dancer.
TVXQ later released a joint single album with label-mate Super Junior, Show Me Your Love which also debuted as #1 on the monthly charts[7]. In addition, the group began acting careers in Banjun Theater drama episodes. Micky Yoochun and U-Know Yunho appeared in guest acting roles for the Nonstop 6 (Rainbow Romance) series. At the end of the year, TVXQ received the Best Music Video award for the song "Rising Sun" and the People's Choice Award at the 2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival. [8]
On June 14, 2005, TVXQ and BoA were appointed as PR spokespeople for the city of Los Angeles in the United States
2006: Third Korean album and overseas expansion
TVXQ at a FILA fan meeting on April 26, 2006
[edit] Going overseas
Before returning to their homeland South Korea with their third album in fall, TVXQ endeavored to spread their influence further in other East Asian countries. They held their first Asian tour, including shows in Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan. TVXQ members were the first Korean performers to ever stage a concert in Malaysia for their "Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour" in Bukit Jalil (Putra Indoor Stadium) [10]. The tour, in promotion for their 2nd Korean album Rising Sun released in 2005, continued to Bangkok in Thailand at the Impact Arena. The tour had also had its first concerts in South Korea.
Soon afterwards, the group was kept busy in preparation for the first tour in Japan in promotion of its first Japanese album, Heart, Mind and Soul. The members focused on increasing their fluency in Japanese for their activities[11]. TVXQ performed at a-nation, an annual Japanese live summer concert organized by Avex Trax that features J-pop artists under the record label, and released five Japanese singles that year.
The group was the first Asian group to win two Thailand Music Awards for both Best Music Video ("Rising Sun") and Favorite Asian Artist. They also won the Popular Vote Asia Artist award at the Virgin Hits Awards 2006 in Thailand. Their seventh Japanese single "Sky" hit #6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.[12], with their eighth single, "Miss You/'O'-Sei.Han.Gō", reaching #3 in Japan.[citation needed] In addition, they have topped both the Japanese and Korean charts on the Malaysian radio show "988" twice with their singles "Begin" and "The Fighting Spirit Of The East"; the show has an audience of about 4.2 million listeners, reaching as far as Singapore. [13]
[edit] Return to Korea
The group returned to Korea in late August in order to prepare for their third album titled "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. ("O"-¥¿.¤Ï.¦X.), released on September 29, 2006. The album's name translates to 'O'-Thesis.Antithesis.Synthesis to reflect the title song's theme of degradation and corruption in society and the power of the people to avert this change. After topping several music charts in Korea, "O" - Jung.Ban.Hap. was re-released on November 11, 2006 to coincide with the group's image change for the promotion of their second title song "Balloons." This release contained new versions of "Balloons" and "Get Me Some", along with a new track entitled "White Lie" written and composed by Xiah Junsu. "Balloons," in contrast to their lead single "O"-Jung. Ban.Hap. and its heavy techno beats, is a lighter pop song about the innocence of childhood. It is a remake of an old hit by Five Fingers (Korean), re-written with a "modern feel" to appeal to younger generations while relating adults familiar with the original, in an attempt to broaden their fanbase further.[14]. In the first month of its release, "O"- Jung. Ban.Hap. surpassed the 100,000 mark in South Korea and became the highest ranking Korean album in sales overall for 2006, with over 385,000 copies sold in South Korea as of December 2007.[15]
Aside music, the group acted together in their feature 4-episode theatrical drama VACATION, later released with the 3rd album DVD. With the success of their 3rd album and rise in popularity, they were invited to several popular Korean variety shows such as X-Man, Heroine 6, and Ya Shim Man Man among others. Hero Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun also acted in a skit comedy on MBC's Goldfish. Their All About TVXQ DVD became the best-selling DVD for 2006 in South Korea, with sales of 47,186 copies surpassing movies and shows. With the success of the DVD, the co-producers SBSi and SM Entertainment decided to release All About TVXQ season 2 in a 5 DVD box set for 2007.[16]
Year 2006 was marked with many scandals for the group in Korea, including Hero Jaejoong's adoptive parents issue, the anti-fan incident with the leader U-know Yunho, and TVXQ's winnings in all the major music award shows in Korea. The group's sweeping of every Artist of The Year (Daesang) award caused many critics to question the legitimacy of the award shows, blaming netizen online votes of being unfair. At 2006 MKMF Music Festival, TVXQ won four awards including Best Group and Artist of the Year.[17] At the 16th Music Seoul Festival, they won three awards including Daesang, equivalent to Artist of the Year [18] followed by another Daesang at the 21st Golden Disk Awards 2006, in addition to a Bonsang.[19] Lastly, they also picked up awards at the SBS Gayo Awards 2006 in which they were awarded the prominent title of Daesang and Bonsang.
[edit] 2007: Japanese activities and concerts
After sweeping major awards in South Korea, TVXQ flew to Japan for almost a year to do intensive promotions and gain a stronger foothold in the Japanese music industry, the second largest in the world. The year also marked the beginning of their second and largest Asia concert tour, the "2nd Asia Tour Concert 'O'" and later the 2nd Japanese live tour with the release of Five in the Black album. They also released consecutive monthly singles, which according to Oricon Style, helped raise their recognition in Japan with every release by 3% in 2006, increasing to 5% with every release in 2007. 14.1% of Japanese fans were female while 4.6% were male with age demographics between 10 to 40 years old[20].
The single "Choosey Lover" was released on March 7th, [21] followed by "Lovin' You" debuting as #2 on the Oricon charts in June, their first single to reach such a position in Japan. Closely following its success, the bubblegum pop tunes of "Summer Dream" became TVXQ's most successful Japanese single in 2007, debuting as #1 [22] and with sales of 112,771 copies in a week. Their double A-side single "SHINE / Ride On" debuted at #2 on the Oricon daily charts in October. Japanese singer Koda Kumi collaborated with TVXQ for her upbeat 38th single "Last Angel", which was released November 7th and ranked #3 on debut; the song was featured in the movie Resident Evil: Extinction. The collaboration with Koda Kumi aided TVXQ in raising recognition between teenage males (58.0%) and men in their 30s (62.0%) towards them, which could grow to be a new fan base for the group[23]. In the same month, their 14th Japanese single "FOREVER LOVE" also debuted at #3. In December, the title song single "Together" for the "Cinnamon" animation movie debuted at #2.
In early April, the members began hosting a weekly radio program called "TVXQ Bigeastation" on Japan FM Network channel, which is currently being aired on seven local FM stations [24]. The group represented Korea on MTV's Video Music Awards Japan and won the 'Best Buzz Asia in Korea' award on May 26th, 2007. They were also invited to many prominent Japanese talk and music shows such as Hey!Hey!Hey! and Utaban during their stay.
In South Korea, they released their first digital single entitled "여행기 (Yeo Haeng Gi)", along with "A Thousand Years Love Song", "하루달 (Harudal)", "All in Vain", "한여름의 크리스마스 (One Summer Night's Christmas)" and "Evergreen" ; these were the only songs that were released in Korean during 2007. Evergreen was particularly special to fans because it was a song where the music was composed by group member Micky Yoochun and the lyrics written by group member Max Changmin. Despite the prolonged absence from South Korea, TVXQ was able to maintain their popularity in their homeland. Their guest performances in concerts, such as 2007 DREAM Concert and Mnet 20's Choice Awards, appearances of Korean variety shows, and personal access to Korean fans through celebrity websites such as Iple and UFOtown, ensured that TVXQ still provided entertainment for the Cassiopians. During a virtual presidential election by MTV Korea, the group was voted as the "President of the Republic of Korean Music" among thirty other candidates by netizens. Because of this win, MTV and Boombox declared December 23 as ¡§TVXQ Day¡¨.[25] They were also appointed as the Korea's e-government ambassadors by the South Korean government to help boost the new system to the citizens[26]. In Thailand, TVXQ had the highest foreign artists sales of 114,027 for 2007, while their single " SHINE" was #1 of the ¡§Top 10 of No.1 on Year Chart 2007¡¨ charts by Channel V Thailand [27].
[edit] 2008 and beyond
TVXQ started off the year with their 16th single "Purple Line", by the Korean composer of TVXQ's hits "Rising Sun" and ""O"-Jung.Ban.Hap.", being released on January 16, 2008 in Japan and January 23, 2008 in South Korea. "Purple Line" topped the Oricon Weekly Chart during the week of its release, becoming the group's first #1 on the weekly charts in Japan; TVXQ became the first foreign male group to accomplish this feat [28]. TVXQ promoted the single in Korea, where a Korean version of the song was released. The following week, the group released its third Japanese album, entitled T which contained songs from their past singles such as "Lovin' You", their summer hit "Summer Dream", "SHINE," "Forever Love", "Together", and "Purple Line". As an exclusive extra, TVXQ added "Kiss nutsa Mama, Sayonara" ("Kissしたまま¡Bさよなら") which was composed and written by the members Micky Yoochun and Hero Jaejoong, and their own version of "LAST ANGEL". T debuted in Oricon charts as #2.
Rhythm Zone, a side label of Avex, created a new marketing strategy for TVXQ by releasing five additional singles in February and March 2008 in consecutive weeks after the release of the album T. Each single contained a member's solo and a song that was part of "TRICK" included in the T album.
On March 28th, TVXQ was appointed the "Goodwill Ambassador for Asia" by Universal Studios Japan to promote the attractions of USJ[29].
The group released its 22nd single, "Beautiful You / Sennen Koi Uta (¤d¦~恋うた)" on April 23, 2008. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon daily and weekly chart, becoming TVXQ's third single to reach that position on the daily charts and second single to reach that position in the weekly chart. The group thus became the second non-Japanese Asian artist to do so, the first being Taiwanese artist Ouyang Feifei (¼Ú¶§µáµá), 24 years and 5 months ago.[30][31].
On May 17, 2008, TVXQ performed "Rising Sun," "Tonight," and "Purple Line" at the 6th Korean Music Festival in Los Angeles, California. They also took part in ensemble encore performances of "Balloons" and SMTown's "Let's Go on a Trip." In addition, the group performed as the closing act at the 14th Annual Dream Concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul on June 7, 2008. On June 12th, TVXQ ended their 2nd Asia Tour in Beijing with a performance for over 20,000 fans; the tour had begun on February 23, 2007 in Seoul, and spanned 13 performances covering Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai and Beijing. On top of that, their two separate live tours in Japan during 2007 and 2008 drew crowds of 55,000 and 150,000, respectively, for a total of 390,000 audience members attending the concerts, which set a new record for the highest number of concert tickets sold for Korean artists[32][33].
The group is currently working on the upcoming 4th Korean album, scheduled to be released for fall of 2008
Members
The first member to join was Kim Junsu. At the age of 12 he was brought into SM Entertainment through a televised talent search with Moon Hee Jun and Kangta from H.O.T. as judges. His vocals won over the judges and procured him thorough training for the next six years. After three years of training, he was supposed to debut, but puberty caused his voice to change and he was unable to sing until it ended after another three years. After six years, he debuted as Xiah Junsu (Xiah is pronounced Shee-ah in Korean). Xiah is the stage name that Kim himself chose, explaining to his fans that the name was short for "Asia", as Asia is pronounced "ah-shee-ah" in Korean. "Xiah" would be an implication of his desire to become not only a star in Korea, but also a star recognized all throughout the continent.
The group's second member, Jung Yunho, secured his spot in TVXQ through a dance competition in which he won first place. Prior to this, he accumulated some musical experience as a rapper and backup dancer for K-pop singer DANA. As a dancer, he accompanied many Korean singers, travelling to China as well. Jung debuted as U-know Yunho. His chose his stage name as "U-know" from his Korean name "Yun Ho"; U-Know is pronounced "You know" in English. However, it is meant to mean "Yunho 'Knows You'" in regard to his understanding of the other members as their leader. He is the second oldest member and the "leader" in TVXQ.
Kim Jaejoong left his hometown in Chungnam to audition for SM Entertainment. Having left the shelter of home, he experienced poverty and strife before becoming a celebrity. Kim debuted as Youngwoong Jaejoong. His manager picked the name Hero for him because he wanted him to be the hero of the music industry. Kim took first place in an audition of 5000 people, both in best looking and best vocals. He became the main vocalist of TVXQ.
Shim Changmin was grouped with the youngest participants in the audition. Like Xiah Junsu, he impressed the judges with his powerful voice. He joined the group under the name Choikang Changmin. Choikang in Korean means "Most Powerful", or approximately, "the best"; "Max" became an international rendition of this name.
One year before the group's debut, a final member was added. Park Yoochun lived in Fairfax, Virginia for roughly four years before he auditioned for Brothers Entertainment and was sent to Korea to SM Entertainment.[34] Micky was Park's English nickname when he lived in Virginia. As the winner of a talent show, he was granted the opportunity to sign with SM Entertainment in Korea. He now performs under the stage name Micky Yoochun.
TVXQ fans use various versions of the group's name in different countries. In South Korea, the group is known as Dong Bang Shin Gi (동방신기), abbreviated as DBSG or DBSK, while the Japanese equivalent of the group's name is Tōhōshinki, abbreviated as THSK. TVXQ, the acronym based on the Chinese counterpart of their name Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is the abbreviation officially used on all advertisements and products outside of Japan. Their name roughly translates as "Rising Gods of the East." (동방의 신이 일어나다.
Musical style
Although TVXQ was initially marketed as an a cappella group, most of the group's music is mainstream K-pop or J-pop. Their debut single "Hug" was a bubblegum pop song, where as their follow up single "The Way U Are" was a dance/R&B number, complete with stylized outfits and choreographed dance moves. Their third major single release, "믿어요" (I Believe), in contrast, was a ballad. TVXQ concluded the year with a Christmas album that also had an a cappella version of "Jesus, Joy Of Man's Desiring". With their releases in 2004, the group showed a versatility in style and has managed not to be permanently typecast as a certain "genre style" (as opposed to Fly to the Sky's R&Bs or Koyote's dance songs).
With consecutive releases, they have not moved from this formula, as their second and third albums have had a similar mixture without moving outside of the mainstream label. The second album's singles, for example, included a dance song (their first release) and a ballad (their follow up). The third album's releases have been dance, ballad and pop tracks. The group also recorded a cappella tracks for official albums released in both Korea and Japan, in which they rearrange original songs as a cappella versions. In the 13th single released in Japan, TVXQ arranged their debut single 'Hug' as a cappella track and performed it in their 2nd Live Tour in Japan.
In Japan, the group's image and music has shifted towards a different market from the one in South Korea. Owing to their more mature fan base in Japan, TVXQ has gravitated towards a cappella and melodic pop songs rather than the heavy and fast pop tunes, coupled with intensive dance choreography, that are commonly seen in their usual hits in South Korea
History
[edit] 2004: Debut
Before debut, there were several tentative names for the group. Each member was to come up with ideas for the name of the group. The three names suggested were Ohjangyookbu (오장육부, meaning the five visceras), JuhnMuckGo, acronym for 전설을 먹고 사는 고래 meaning A Whale That Eats Legends, and Dong Bang Bul Pae (동방불패), the Korean title of Ashes of Time.[4] The group decided on Dong Bang Bul Pae, and Lee Soo Man even asked the film's director for permission to use the name. In the end, however, the name was rejected because its Hanja (or the written Chinese script) was not aesthetically pleasing, and the group name was changed instead to Dong Bang Shin Ki.
TVXQ made their first appearance on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears Showcase. They performed their debut song "Hug" as well as an a cappella rendition of "O Holy Night" alongside BoA. The group eventually released two singles ("Hug" and "The Way U Are"), accompanied by photo books, before their first album in 2004. TVXQ reached #1 on Korean music charts in three months after their debut. By October, the first album Tri-Angle was released.
Their official fan club derives its name from the Cassiopeia constellation near the Big Dipper. The constellation consists of 5 main stars, and TVXQ has 5 members. When traced on a computer keyboard, "TVfXQ" resembles Cassiopeia.
SM Entertainment once considered adding a Chinese member to the group and rotate members to help boost popularity in other countries, as hinted in The 3rd StoryBook - TVfXQ!. The purpose would have been to branch each member into different solo activities, or possibly combine other trainees into the group. However, the idea was abandoned due to opposition from fans who threatened to boycott SM Entertainment products.
[edit] 2005: Second Korean album Rising Sun
During 2005, TVXQ expanded its career into Japan. The group marked its official debut in Japan with the release of the single Stay with Me Tonight on April 27, 2005. [5] (Earlier in the year, the English version of their single "Hug" and their first Korean album Tri-Angle had been released in Japan without much attention).
TVXQ continued to release two additional singles entitled "Somebody to Love" and "My Destiny". While in Korea, the group released its second Korean album Rising Sun, which ranked #1 on the monthly charts and #4 for the yearly sales, and continues to chart in the top 100. Due to demand, the album was officially released in other foreign countries in 2007[6]. Weeks before the album's release in Korea, Hero faced a leg injury which prevented him from dancing in the Rising Sun music video or on stage performances and from taking part in some of the album's promotional activities. For group dance sequences on stage he was instead replaced by another dancer.
TVXQ later released a joint single album with label-mate Super Junior, Show Me Your Love which also debuted as #1 on the monthly charts[7]. In addition, the group began acting careers in Banjun Theater drama episodes. Micky Yoochun and U-Know Yunho appeared in guest acting roles for the Nonstop 6 (Rainbow Romance) series. At the end of the year, TVXQ received the Best Music Video award for the song "Rising Sun" and the People's Choice Award at the 2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival. [8]
On June 14, 2005, TVXQ and BoA were appointed as PR spokespeople for the city of Los Angeles in the United States
2006: Third Korean album and overseas expansion
TVXQ at a FILA fan meeting on April 26, 2006
[edit] Going overseas
Before returning to their homeland South Korea with their third album in fall, TVXQ endeavored to spread their influence further in other East Asian countries. They held their first Asian tour, including shows in Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan. TVXQ members were the first Korean performers to ever stage a concert in Malaysia for their "Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour" in Bukit Jalil (Putra Indoor Stadium) [10]. The tour, in promotion for their 2nd Korean album Rising Sun released in 2005, continued to Bangkok in Thailand at the Impact Arena. The tour had also had its first concerts in South Korea.
Soon afterwards, the group was kept busy in preparation for the first tour in Japan in promotion of its first Japanese album, Heart, Mind and Soul. The members focused on increasing their fluency in Japanese for their activities[11]. TVXQ performed at a-nation, an annual Japanese live summer concert organized by Avex Trax that features J-pop artists under the record label, and released five Japanese singles that year.
The group was the first Asian group to win two Thailand Music Awards for both Best Music Video ("Rising Sun") and Favorite Asian Artist. They also won the Popular Vote Asia Artist award at the Virgin Hits Awards 2006 in Thailand. Their seventh Japanese single "Sky" hit #6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.[12], with their eighth single, "Miss You/'O'-Sei.Han.Gō", reaching #3 in Japan.[citation needed] In addition, they have topped both the Japanese and Korean charts on the Malaysian radio show "988" twice with their singles "Begin" and "The Fighting Spirit Of The East"; the show has an audience of about 4.2 million listeners, reaching as far as Singapore. [13]
[edit] Return to Korea
The group returned to Korea in late August in order to prepare for their third album titled "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. ("O"-¥¿.¤Ï.¦X.), released on September 29, 2006. The album's name translates to 'O'-Thesis.Antithesis.Synthesis to reflect the title song's theme of degradation and corruption in society and the power of the people to avert this change. After topping several music charts in Korea, "O" - Jung.Ban.Hap. was re-released on November 11, 2006 to coincide with the group's image change for the promotion of their second title song "Balloons." This release contained new versions of "Balloons" and "Get Me Some", along with a new track entitled "White Lie" written and composed by Xiah Junsu. "Balloons," in contrast to their lead single "O"-Jung. Ban.Hap. and its heavy techno beats, is a lighter pop song about the innocence of childhood. It is a remake of an old hit by Five Fingers (Korean), re-written with a "modern feel" to appeal to younger generations while relating adults familiar with the original, in an attempt to broaden their fanbase further.[14]. In the first month of its release, "O"- Jung. Ban.Hap. surpassed the 100,000 mark in South Korea and became the highest ranking Korean album in sales overall for 2006, with over 385,000 copies sold in South Korea as of December 2007.[15]
Aside music, the group acted together in their feature 4-episode theatrical drama VACATION, later released with the 3rd album DVD. With the success of their 3rd album and rise in popularity, they were invited to several popular Korean variety shows such as X-Man, Heroine 6, and Ya Shim Man Man among others. Hero Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun also acted in a skit comedy on MBC's Goldfish. Their All About TVXQ DVD became the best-selling DVD for 2006 in South Korea, with sales of 47,186 copies surpassing movies and shows. With the success of the DVD, the co-producers SBSi and SM Entertainment decided to release All About TVXQ season 2 in a 5 DVD box set for 2007.[16]
Year 2006 was marked with many scandals for the group in Korea, including Hero Jaejoong's adoptive parents issue, the anti-fan incident with the leader U-know Yunho, and TVXQ's winnings in all the major music award shows in Korea. The group's sweeping of every Artist of The Year (Daesang) award caused many critics to question the legitimacy of the award shows, blaming netizen online votes of being unfair. At 2006 MKMF Music Festival, TVXQ won four awards including Best Group and Artist of the Year.[17] At the 16th Music Seoul Festival, they won three awards including Daesang, equivalent to Artist of the Year [18] followed by another Daesang at the 21st Golden Disk Awards 2006, in addition to a Bonsang.[19] Lastly, they also picked up awards at the SBS Gayo Awards 2006 in which they were awarded the prominent title of Daesang and Bonsang.
[edit] 2007: Japanese activities and concerts
After sweeping major awards in South Korea, TVXQ flew to Japan for almost a year to do intensive promotions and gain a stronger foothold in the Japanese music industry, the second largest in the world. The year also marked the beginning of their second and largest Asia concert tour, the "2nd Asia Tour Concert 'O'" and later the 2nd Japanese live tour with the release of Five in the Black album. They also released consecutive monthly singles, which according to Oricon Style, helped raise their recognition in Japan with every release by 3% in 2006, increasing to 5% with every release in 2007. 14.1% of Japanese fans were female while 4.6% were male with age demographics between 10 to 40 years old[20].
The single "Choosey Lover" was released on March 7th, [21] followed by "Lovin' You" debuting as #2 on the Oricon charts in June, their first single to reach such a position in Japan. Closely following its success, the bubblegum pop tunes of "Summer Dream" became TVXQ's most successful Japanese single in 2007, debuting as #1 [22] and with sales of 112,771 copies in a week. Their double A-side single "SHINE / Ride On" debuted at #2 on the Oricon daily charts in October. Japanese singer Koda Kumi collaborated with TVXQ for her upbeat 38th single "Last Angel", which was released November 7th and ranked #3 on debut; the song was featured in the movie Resident Evil: Extinction. The collaboration with Koda Kumi aided TVXQ in raising recognition between teenage males (58.0%) and men in their 30s (62.0%) towards them, which could grow to be a new fan base for the group[23]. In the same month, their 14th Japanese single "FOREVER LOVE" also debuted at #3. In December, the title song single "Together" for the "Cinnamon" animation movie debuted at #2.
In early April, the members began hosting a weekly radio program called "TVXQ Bigeastation" on Japan FM Network channel, which is currently being aired on seven local FM stations [24]. The group represented Korea on MTV's Video Music Awards Japan and won the 'Best Buzz Asia in Korea' award on May 26th, 2007. They were also invited to many prominent Japanese talk and music shows such as Hey!Hey!Hey! and Utaban during their stay.
In South Korea, they released their first digital single entitled "여행기 (Yeo Haeng Gi)", along with "A Thousand Years Love Song", "하루달 (Harudal)", "All in Vain", "한여름의 크리스마스 (One Summer Night's Christmas)" and "Evergreen" ; these were the only songs that were released in Korean during 2007. Evergreen was particularly special to fans because it was a song where the music was composed by group member Micky Yoochun and the lyrics written by group member Max Changmin. Despite the prolonged absence from South Korea, TVXQ was able to maintain their popularity in their homeland. Their guest performances in concerts, such as 2007 DREAM Concert and Mnet 20's Choice Awards, appearances of Korean variety shows, and personal access to Korean fans through celebrity websites such as Iple and UFOtown, ensured that TVXQ still provided entertainment for the Cassiopians. During a virtual presidential election by MTV Korea, the group was voted as the "President of the Republic of Korean Music" among thirty other candidates by netizens. Because of this win, MTV and Boombox declared December 23 as ¡§TVXQ Day¡¨.[25] They were also appointed as the Korea's e-government ambassadors by the South Korean government to help boost the new system to the citizens[26]. In Thailand, TVXQ had the highest foreign artists sales of 114,027 for 2007, while their single " SHINE" was #1 of the ¡§Top 10 of No.1 on Year Chart 2007¡¨ charts by Channel V Thailand [27].
[edit] 2008 and beyond
TVXQ started off the year with their 16th single "Purple Line", by the Korean composer of TVXQ's hits "Rising Sun" and ""O"-Jung.Ban.Hap.", being released on January 16, 2008 in Japan and January 23, 2008 in South Korea. "Purple Line" topped the Oricon Weekly Chart during the week of its release, becoming the group's first #1 on the weekly charts in Japan; TVXQ became the first foreign male group to accomplish this feat [28]. TVXQ promoted the single in Korea, where a Korean version of the song was released. The following week, the group released its third Japanese album, entitled T which contained songs from their past singles such as "Lovin' You", their summer hit "Summer Dream", "SHINE," "Forever Love", "Together", and "Purple Line". As an exclusive extra, TVXQ added "Kiss nutsa Mama, Sayonara" ("Kissしたまま¡Bさよなら") which was composed and written by the members Micky Yoochun and Hero Jaejoong, and their own version of "LAST ANGEL". T debuted in Oricon charts as #2.
Rhythm Zone, a side label of Avex, created a new marketing strategy for TVXQ by releasing five additional singles in February and March 2008 in consecutive weeks after the release of the album T. Each single contained a member's solo and a song that was part of "TRICK" included in the T album.
On March 28th, TVXQ was appointed the "Goodwill Ambassador for Asia" by Universal Studios Japan to promote the attractions of USJ[29].
The group released its 22nd single, "Beautiful You / Sennen Koi Uta (¤d¦~恋うた)" on April 23, 2008. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon daily and weekly chart, becoming TVXQ's third single to reach that position on the daily charts and second single to reach that position in the weekly chart. The group thus became the second non-Japanese Asian artist to do so, the first being Taiwanese artist Ouyang Feifei (¼Ú¶§µáµá), 24 years and 5 months ago.[30][31].
On May 17, 2008, TVXQ performed "Rising Sun," "Tonight," and "Purple Line" at the 6th Korean Music Festival in Los Angeles, California. They also took part in ensemble encore performances of "Balloons" and SMTown's "Let's Go on a Trip." In addition, the group performed as the closing act at the 14th Annual Dream Concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul on June 7, 2008. On June 12th, TVXQ ended their 2nd Asia Tour in Beijing with a performance for over 20,000 fans; the tour had begun on February 23, 2007 in Seoul, and spanned 13 performances covering Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai and Beijing. On top of that, their two separate live tours in Japan during 2007 and 2008 drew crowds of 55,000 and 150,000, respectively, for a total of 390,000 audience members attending the concerts, which set a new record for the highest number of concert tickets sold for Korean artists[32][33].
The group is currently working on the upcoming 4th Korean album, scheduled to be released for fall of 2008
Members
The first member to join was Kim Junsu. At the age of 12 he was brought into SM Entertainment through a televised talent search with Moon Hee Jun and Kangta from H.O.T. as judges. His vocals won over the judges and procured him thorough training for the next six years. After three years of training, he was supposed to debut, but puberty caused his voice to change and he was unable to sing until it ended after another three years. After six years, he debuted as Xiah Junsu (Xiah is pronounced Shee-ah in Korean). Xiah is the stage name that Kim himself chose, explaining to his fans that the name was short for "Asia", as Asia is pronounced "ah-shee-ah" in Korean. "Xiah" would be an implication of his desire to become not only a star in Korea, but also a star recognized all throughout the continent.
The group's second member, Jung Yunho, secured his spot in TVXQ through a dance competition in which he won first place. Prior to this, he accumulated some musical experience as a rapper and backup dancer for K-pop singer DANA. As a dancer, he accompanied many Korean singers, travelling to China as well. Jung debuted as U-know Yunho. His chose his stage name as "U-know" from his Korean name "Yun Ho"; U-Know is pronounced "You know" in English. However, it is meant to mean "Yunho 'Knows You'" in regard to his understanding of the other members as their leader. He is the second oldest member and the "leader" in TVXQ.
Kim Jaejoong left his hometown in Chungnam to audition for SM Entertainment. Having left the shelter of home, he experienced poverty and strife before becoming a celebrity. Kim debuted as Youngwoong Jaejoong. His manager picked the name Hero for him because he wanted him to be the hero of the music industry. Kim took first place in an audition of 5000 people, both in best looking and best vocals. He became the main vocalist of TVXQ.
Shim Changmin was grouped with the youngest participants in the audition. Like Xiah Junsu, he impressed the judges with his powerful voice. He joined the group under the name Choikang Changmin. Choikang in Korean means "Most Powerful", or approximately, "the best"; "Max" became an international rendition of this name.
One year before the group's debut, a final member was added. Park Yoochun lived in Fairfax, Virginia for roughly four years before he auditioned for Brothers Entertainment and was sent to Korea to SM Entertainment.[34] Micky was Park's English nickname when he lived in Virginia. As the winner of a talent show, he was granted the opportunity to sign with SM Entertainment in Korea. He now performs under the stage name Micky Yoochun.
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